Page 22 - Beeman P17 Reviews

The Beeman P17 is an excellent value for someone interested in a 4.5 mm (.177 cal) target air pistol. Before you buy, think about what it is that you intend to use an airgun for. If you wish to shoot 10 meter air pistol targets and stay in the black at very low cost, this pistol is definitely worth three times what it is sold for. If you want rapidly to make many tiny dents in a barn door from 5 meters or otherwise blast away promiscuously, then skip the P17 and buy the CO2 BB gun which will do that job for you. If you want to hunt, skip pistols and go to a pellet rifle with enough power and accuracy to allow you reliably to achieve first round kills; then make yourself some rat, rabbit or pigeon stew, or at least supplement your cat's diet with your take. Is this an Olympic 10 meter target pistol? No, but it is surprisingly accurate for 10% of the cost of a basic match target pistol such as the Baikal 46. It has good balance, points very naturally and has a splendidly light trigger and servicable open sights. The P17 is a Beeman-licensed Chinese manufactured copy of the Beeman P3/Weihrauch HW40 manufactured in Germany. Except for the post and vee sights (very satisfactory for target shooting, the rear being adjustable for both elevation and windage,) it follows the P3/HW40 design very faithfully for less than 20% of the cost. I have found that Beeman model 1235 7.7 grain coated wadcutters work very well for target shooting in my P17, and are very economical.

Loading seems awkward at first, but will soon become easier, especially if you start with pointed pellets, then switch to wads when you are used to the loading. Beeman Model 1239 8.5 grain coated pointed pellets will serve that purpose. With these products, you can find out whether you enjoy the sport without having to spend serious money on it. While the design is very good, the level of quality assurance in assembly seems, from the sample of user reviews I have read elsewhere, sometimes to fall below that standard. Most are assembled well, but some are less well assembled. While the manufacturer should improve quality control, the P17 is warranted for a year, and is not difficult to work on when the warranty has expired. There is plenty of help for diagnosing and fixing problems on the Web. After about 2,000 rounds, I started to have trouble with pressure loss. Since the pistol was then still under warranty, I spent $12 on sending it to Beeman for repairs. After a month, it came back in good order. Now that it is out of warranty, I work on it myself. A Google search for P17 overhaul led me to a number of useful sources of information, including Derrick's overhaul part 1 and finale, which are step by step guides with very good color photo illustrations (Thank you, Derrick.)

Cocking this device is too difficult for a child, but within the abilities of most mid-late teens and adults. Anyway, it is not a toy and is not suitable for children. The safe handling considerations for firearms apply to pellet guns.

The top of the receiver incorporates dove tail grooves between the front and rear iron sights for mounting accessory sights. Some offers of P17s bundle them with an open style red dot sight.

If you are, or think that you may be, interested in target shooting, then the P17 is worth your consideration. If you do not enter formal competition, it may be all that you need. In any event, it is a fine pistol for developing pistol marksmanship and maintaining proficiency economically and at home, rather than driving to a firearms range and firing ball ammunition frequently. I know of no other target as good for so llittle money.

Accuarcy is outstanding.

Quality control. Within 30 days it started to leak and had to be returned to Pyramyd Air.

Pyramyd Air is great to deal with. If you get a P17 that does not leak, you will be very pleased with it.

First of all Wow this pistol shoots great. Great air pistol, highly recommend. Great trigger at-least 7" long barrel. Amazing power, I am impressed. Adjustable rear sights better than many center fire pistols.

Nothing

It is more impressive in person. Has a good weight to it. I think mainly for big kids and adults. It is not hard to cock but don't think small child would like it.

Excellent target pistol for money.

tough to load pellets...need loading tool that works with this pistol.

I really like the FPS on this gun. I also like the solid weight and feel. I can shoot straight through two soup cans with this gun. It is my go-to pistol.

Just one thing, the cocking effort. It is somewhat hard for me and my 22 year old brother can't cock it at all. But he isn't very strong at all, so...

This is a GREAT pistol!!!!

Good size and feel--good power-goes through both sides of soda can-one side of thick vegetable can.

kinda hard to load--some say hard to pump-but not that bad

best you can get for the price
im painting it camo--lots of videos on youtube-how to paint guns camo

Single-shot cocking mechanism is clever. Simple to use.

Loading port difficult to access. Closing the top cover after cocking can be difficult at first.

Fun for plinking and informal shooting. Great deal and good bang for the buck.

Excellent pistol for price. Very accurate.1 Inch bulls eye 10 shots in and 1 was on top of another shot.

Needs fiber optic sites. Make it higher FPS like P1

Watch loose clothing when cocking. Not for children...

The accuracy!

They should use better O Rings,the ones that come in the pistol don't last long.

Buy one shoot it until it starts leaking,then replace all the o rings,and it will shoot forever.

VERY LIGHT EASY TO OPERATE VERY ACCURATE GOOD SIGHTS GOOD TRIGER LOOKS WELL PUT TOGETHER. I WILL GIVE IT A A+

I WOULD NOT CHANGE ANY THING

GET ONE YOU WILL LIKE IT. IT IS FOR ADULTS

Price is right on the mark for taking a chance, so I did. Adjustable sights are very good. Accuracy is great! The trigger is great! This is a SINGLE stroke gun. I like that it is designed so that you cannot pump it twice. When cocked and closed, the lever is locked down so you can't mistakenly over pump the valve. Forget to load? No problem. This is a dry-fire-friendly gun.

Nothing. Even the automatic safety is a good idea.

I ordered one from PA to see what all the hype was about. I was so impressed I ordered two more. Cocking effort is a bit stiff for kids and seniors, but most shooters will finesse the gun to cock it easily.

Initially I had trouble with the breech seal popping out. Replaced it with an O-ring from the hardware then shot 500 rounds. Yes, 500 rounds. No problems. I DID manage to pinch my hand towards the end of the shooting. Got tired.

Accuracy was best with RWS Super Points and RWS Meisterkugelns.

This is one of the truly great values for airgunners at a price that makes it my first choice of gift for shooters.

Shoots great. Good practice gun.

Better trigger.

Good value.

I like the design, the feel, and the fact that this gun has virtually no recoil. Is extremely accurate and has a decent power for such a low priced piece of hardware. It was a great success among the friends that shoot targets with me.

I would not change a thing in this gun. Extremely accurate out of the box and a very good looking solid gun looking good and low price but nothing cheap about it. What else can you ask for?

Adding a red dot sight makes it even easier and more satisfying to use this gun. Infallible up to 15 yards

Shoots hard. Cheap to shoot. The trigger is the best aspect of this gun.

The front site is so large that it does not allow light in to distinguish it from the front site. That's why I'm writing, I used a razor and 1) notched the center, then 2)shaved the sides of the front site. Be very careful doing this, but if done correctly it will allow mug Ch more light in and targets can be acquired and pin pointed much easier. A great fix! Try it out.

Accuracy is great...for a short gun. Even modified, I do better with my longer barreled pistols even though their triggers are not so good. If you want real accuracy, stick with a long barrel. If you want good accuracy, try my mod and improve this gun tremendously.

no co2 to mess with. very accurate 10m pistol with almost no recoil. super price.

a little hard to load but you get used to it.

this gun is a really good value and should last a long time. easy to maintain also. buy this pistol.

For a $35 airgun, I didn't expect much. Yes it's a Beeman, but not one of the German made (I don't think). But it was astoundingly accurate. I was hitting tin cans at 10 meters, no bags. Awesome!

I know this can't be changed, but this is the first over lever I've never owned, let alone a pistol. Yes, leverage is the issue. But this was just too hard for my old body to cock. I don't know if there is anything they could do about it, but that would be it. It ended up going to my son. :-)

Aside from being hard to cock, watch your palm. I've heard it's easy to get it pinched when closing the gun. I only managed to continually catch my shirt.
The other issue is that getting pellets into the barrel is hard. Tiny fingers. I think a pellet seater would help and have picked one up to see if it helps.

I read many of the reviews before making this purchase. It went against my nature to buy a gun this "cheap". I typically live by the philosophy that you get what you pay for. I kept looking for an excuse to buy something "better" (i.e. more expensive). Finally I broke down and added this gun to my cart. After half an hour with this gun, I have to admit that I think this gun is an exception to the rule in that you get way more than you paid for. It took me a couple shots to get used to the trigger which is not match grade by any stretch of the imagination. It's a little creepy but perfectly serviceable. I used those shots to get the sights adjusted to my range. By the 10th shot I was ready for a clean target. Shooting off-hand from 5 yards, the next shot left me wondering where it had hit. Upon examination, it had cleanly removed the bullseye from my target. The next 3 pellets literally went through the same hole. I don't think I have ever done this with another pistol. I am shocked at the accuracy that this pistol is capable of. If anyone cares, I was using RWS Hobbys. The experience left me wanting to write this review.

For the price, I don't think could complain about anything. I don't know how well it will hold up over time but it seems solid enough.

The gun makes a little more noise than I had expected but I wouldn't call it loud. Cocking takes a little effort but with a little practice, it becomes second nature. Buy this gun. You won't regret it.

Accuracy, trigger feel, price, and over all design? Despite my comments which appear in later sections this is a fun air gun with impressive accuracy and overall performace. I would recommend this air gun to others- and the price is a feature that makes it so nice.

The top of the gun, which would be the gas driven slide if it were a center fire firearm should be composed of metal or considerably more rigid to ease pumping of airgun, increse stability and durability of lever joint, and increase safety of operating lever.

The top of the gun, which would be the gas driven slide if it were a center fire firearm, is a poly/plastic material. This portion of gun lifts upwards from the back with a hinge joint at the muzzle end and considerable effort is required to close (pump) the gun, I am concerned about long term stability of joint. Additionally, the material used for this part of the gun flexes considerably which makes for difficult pumping of the gun and increases the posibility of finger pinch.. Due to these issues I would not let, nor physically could, a 10 year old child operate the gun. Younger folks would need maximal assist in opperating the mechanism in addion to necessary supervision of airgun use.

This pistol is worth every dollar, it's quiet accurate and it "feels good" while shooting. It is also a safe gun (auto-safety) and the grip is just wonderful. It has a smooth trigger. I own a lot of airguns and this one is one of the better guns for target practice (I own Gamo, Daisy, Weihrauch,....). I put a red-dot scope on the gun and it is just very accurate at a distance of 10-15 meters.

The loading system is a bit of a nuisance.

No CO2 cartridges, no spring problems, no recoil, just plain fun wit a lot of accuracy.

For $40 this is a 10 star pistol really... When I bought my tempest 20 years ago this one would have cost 300-400 bucks. Accuracy is insane with a red dot on top - and so far that has been with (really) cheap ammo!

The rear sight moves/floats when I charge the gun. I actually put a piece of duct tape over the screw to "lock" it in when it was set. But really for the price nothing else. Just be aware that it is somewhat difficult to charge....no big deal but I'm considering a glove for the cocking hand since I LOVE to shoot this thing so much! I would also consider changing the form factor...I mean who cares if it looks like a *real* pistol (I got plenty of those!) so go for the ergonomics and enhance the cocking comfort!

Enjoy. Not sure why anyone would buy anything else...